You and Me
by tigerlilies-and-superheroes
Summary: Someone is out to kill Ziva. When Tony and the NCIS team find out, it's a race against time- and Mossad- to get her back. Yes, I know, a post 11x2 Tiva story. I just had to. Tiva & McAbby!
1. Chapter 1

"Petty officer dead 10 miles from Dulles, grab your gear." Tony scooped up his backpack and followed Gibbs and McGee to the elevator. It was just them again, since Bishop had returned to the NSA. Her joint duty assignment with NCIS was over. It reminded Tony of the day after Jenny's death, when Ziva's liaison position was terminated…

Ziva…

"DiNozzo! Pay attention!" Gibbs smacked him, hard, which brought Tony back to the present. He muttered a disclaimer and slid into the car.

When they arrived, Tony was the first one out of the Charger. He didn't really want Gibbs slapping him again. Tony and Gibbs left McGee with the gear and walked toward the police tape, camera and coffee in their respective hands. When Tony got a look at the body, he had to choke back tears. The woman was obviously Israeli, young and pretty. She had long, curly dark brown hair in a ponytail and was small but clearly fit. She wore a Star of David necklace and a black shirt and cargo pants.

Gibbs, Tony, McGee, Ducky and Palmer stood around the body. Their faces were those of sadness and shock. Then, Tony let out a small sob and sank to the ground, covering his face with his hands. Gibbs crouched beside him while the others took one look at Gibbs's face and left.

"Tony?" his boss asked gently.

"I'm… rule 6. Never mind." Tony managed. He looked around at the random suburban road, trying in vain to get his mind off Ziva. Then he realized. There was something special about this road, this intersection.

_Flashback_

_ "Well, then I should catch her before she leaves" Tony took his partner's hand gently, "You know, thank her." She smiled at him. "Tony, I-" A loud crash. The car spun to the side "ZIVA!" Tony screamed her name. The car skidded to a halt. Right before he fell unconscious, Tony managed to reach out and brush her hand._

"Oh my god. I- I-" Gibbs looked at his senior agent, concerned. "Tony. You can tell me."

"This is the intersection where, where we got into that car crash courtesy of Bodnar. Gibbs, we almost died here, and then a woman that looks just like Ziva-"He broke off, lapsing into silence. "Look, I know it's not a coincidence, and I think Mossad's involved.

"How do you get that?" Gibbs asked.

"This was in my mailbox about a week ago." Tony said quietly and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. Gibbs unfolded it slowly. It revealed a list titled 'I Will'. Written in large letters were the words 'I need you.' The penciled words of 'visit America' 'have a boy and a girl' and 'be a ballerina' were crossed out in marker below it, replaced by the words 'stop this for him'. Ziva's list.

-END OF CHAPTER 1-


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alright, so I should have done this last chapter, but oh well. First, this is about how I want season 12 to go. It'll follow canon until the new season starts. Now, know that I won't stop writing until I get reviews, but I won't continue the story if nobody reads it. Also, thank you to everyone who reads this story! That's about it, so enjoy!**

"Ziva," Tony half-sobbed. He stood up, clutching her list to his body.

"Dinozzo, tell me. How is Mossad involved?"

"They did this. Zi would never ever kill someone to get my attention. Stupid freaking Orli Elbaz must have done this. She… Ziva didn't like her. I didn't like her. I am going to KILL her!" Tony yelled. All heads turned toward him. Gibbs looked at them and said, "Finish this up quick. We've got a case to solve, and an agent to save."

Back at the Navy Yard, Gibbs had called in everyone. Abby and McGee were in the Lab looking through evidence and security cameras. Or, that was what Vance thought they were doing. In reality, the two were hacking into Mossad, the CIA and, for good measure, Vance. Just in case.

Meanwhile, Tony and Gibbs were trying to figure out why the Mossad director would have a US petty officer killed and left with Ziva's I Will list.

Palmer was doing the autopsy on the woman, Petty Officer First Class Jane M. Tuttle.

Ducky had possibly the most important job. He was talking with Vance, both to get some information out of him (Gibbs was sure he was in on it) and keeping him from discovering that Abby and McGee were currently hacking his email account.

McAbby was the first to make progress.

"Yes yes yes yes yes!" Abby danced around her lab. They had cracked Vance's email password at last.

"Abs, you might be celebrating too soon." McGee said grimly. "Look at this." It was an email from a secure server in Tel Aviv. Mossad. "Okay, let's see… yep, bad." The email was brief, but informative.

Dear Director Vance,

Thank you for your help. As long as Agent Dinozzo is given the required resources, he will no doubt find his love in a matter of days. According to resources I have, she is in the city of Paris. We will take this opportunity to fulfill Eli's wishes. The American is yours to deal with. I am sure his loss will open a place on the team for someone more trustworthy. Agent Gibbs will be no more, and David will be with us. All is going according to plan.

-Orli

"Bitch!" Abby screamed. "I hate her!"

"Abby? What is it?" Gibbs and Tony rushed into the room. "Read for yourself!" Abby burst into hysterical tears. McGee wrapped his arms around her while the two agents read the email.

"Gibbs, I'm going to France." Tony said, fuming. "I am going, finding Ziva, and getting back before Elbaz even knows I'm in the country."

"How?" Gibbs's one word reply made him falter.

"I have no idea, but I have to. Elbaz did get one thing right. I love Ziva."

-END OF CHAPTER 2-

**A/N 2: Sorry if Gibbs is a bit OOC, I like him better that way. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm really glad for all the support this is are awesome! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS. CBS does. If it were mine, I wouldn't be here, now would I?**

Tony walked up to the young, blonde, attractive woman standing behind the counter at Reagan Airport. Looking up at the flight schedules, he found a flight to Paris, nonstop, leaving in a half hour.

"I need a ticket to Paris, the flight leaving in 30." Tony demanded.

"I'm sorry, there's no way you could make it thorough security on time," she replied. Tony reached into his jacket pocket and took out his badge. "Look, lady, I'm a federal agent. I don't need to go through the damn security. Give me a ticket!"

"Okay, here. You know, you're kind of cute when you're mad," she said teasingly. "Look lady," Tony snatched his ticket and slammed both hands on the counter in an imitation of Gibbs, "Just tell me how to get to the gate. I should be in France, rescuing the love of my life, not here!" With that, Tony stormed off to gate A28.

He was stopped briefly by TSA officers wanting to see his ID, which he showed them and hurried to the gate and sat down. Tony took out his cell phone and pressed speed dial #1. He sat there looking at her name. He didn't press the 'Call' button. He just sat, lost in thought.

"I know it's stupid! She's been gone for months and she's still first on your speed dial. This is exactly like what you did when Kate died! No, it's not the same. Kate was… like your twin sister. Ziva's not my sister. Clearly she doesn't care about me. No, she does." He went on like this in his head until his phone ringing brought him back to the present. He looked at his phone. Gibbs.

"Hey boss." Tony said slowly. "Tony. Abby and McGee are tracking Ziver now. They'll call as soon as they have something. Oh, and I would sleep on the plane." Gibbs stated. "Umm, why?" "It's a 6 hour time difference, take a guess." Tony heard an excited squeal followed by a gasp and a loud crash. "Abby found Ziva, but so did Elbaz. She's emailing you coordinates now," Gibbs explained. Tony was still confused. "One question. What was that extremely loud noise I heard?" "Abby's short lived celebration." Gibbs sounded faintly amused. "Forget I asked."

"Oh, and Dinozzo? Rule 12 is out when you're partner's in danger. Just don't screw it up or I'll shoot you personally." "On it boss." He ended the call.

"Flight nonstop to Paris ,France, now boarding."

Tony took a deep breath and walked onto the plane. He had a Ziva to save.

-END OF CHAPTER 3-

**Sorry if the ending was cheesy. :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi peeps! Not much to report. I will be going out of town on Tuesday and will be updating more sparingly. Thanks for the support I promise next chappy will have some Ziva POV. Now, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: NCIS does not belong to me! It sucks. :(**

**Mossad Headquarters, Tel Aviv, Israel**

"Bring Liat to my office," Orli Elbaz sat back in her chair, having sent her last email to Leon. "Yes director?" Liat strode confidently into her superior's office.

"I would like to personally congratulate you for your excellent planning and execution. As you know, the late Director David's will states that his daughter is to be returned to Mossad even at the cost of her life."

"Yes director."

"I appreciate your insight into Ziva's relationship with Agent DiNozzo. She will not hide from him. All we have to do is wait for her to locate her exact position. He will lead us to her. Then we will return him to NCIS. Also, I am glad that you enlisted Director Vance to assist us. He will no doubt find a replacement for his… missing agent."

"Thank you director."

"That is all."

**Paris, France**

Tony stepped into his hotel room in the heart of Paris, France. Pulling out his laptop, he turned it on and opened up a map of the city.

"Now, where is she?" he muttered to himself. "Think, DiNozzo!"

Then he had it. The agent pressed a button on his phone and called McGee.

"Hey, McDC! How's the hacking going?"

"Hi Tony. What is it?" McGee wasn't happy to be pulled away from his computer.

"Look, you remember when Ziva and I went to Paris to pick up that witness? Where is the hotel we stayed at?"

"You mean the one where you both slept on the couch?" McGee said sarcastically.

"Shut up, Tim. This is important."

"Okay, from your hotel, it's up a block and around the corner. Apparently they turned it into an apartment building. There's no Ziva David on the tenant list, but there is a Sophie Ranier"

So Tony's gut was right. "Thanks McKnowItAll."

"Hilarious, Tony."

"Bye."

As Tony lay in bed, lost in thought, a figure strode quietly to his door and pulled out a gun.

"Target acquired."

**Ooh, cliffhanger. (Insert maniacal laugh here)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys! Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I had ****_zero_**** time. Oh, and I promised you some Ziva POV, so here you go. Oh, and free cookies for anyone who spots the subtle Truth or Consequences hint. The first to figure it out might get a sneak peek of the next chappy! Now, read on and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: NCIS belongs to CBS, not me.**

**Weatherly Apartments, Apt. 528, Paris, France**

Ziva David sat on her couch, looking at the only remnants of her old life. Three pictures sat on her mantle. One was a team photo, with McGee, Abby, Gibbs, Tony, Jenny, Ducky, Palmer and her. It had been taken only a month before Jenny's death.

The second was one of her father, there only because her mother and Tali were also in the photo. Her little sister was grinning at the camera held by Ari. It was one of the only good family memories she had.

Then Ziva's eyes fell on the most personal picture, the most emotional thing she owned. It was a photo of her and Tony. They were sitting together on his couch during a movie night. His arm was around her, and they were smiling easily.

Her movie nights with Tony were some of her favorite memories. Hell, nearly every one of her good memories was related to him. Their undercover op, the day in Paris, all the late nights at NCIS, Berlin, Somalia, and their final goodbye in Israel.

Despite everything she had told him, her heart still ached for him. Her lips still burned from the kiss almost nine months before. Her hands still instinctively reached for his in moments of worry. Okay, yes, she missed Anthony DiNozzo. More than anything.

She was so lost in her memories, she almost missed the gunshots ringing out in the quiet Parisian night. Almost.

**American Embassy, Paris, France**

Only his instincts saved him.

Tony's door flung open, revealing a black-clad figure holding a gun. Tony jumped to his feet and reached for his SIG. For a millisecond the two stood, pointing their weapons at each other. Then the intruder fired.

Tony ducked before the shot was even fired. The bullet shattered the window and fell to the ground stories below. He yelled, "Federal Agent! Drop your gun!"

The black-clothed figure ignored the shout and fired twice in rapid succession. Tony doubled over again. Red spots blossomed on his shirt, over his stomach.

The intruder, standing in the doorway, spoke for the first time.

"Agent DiNozzo, I believe you have the location of a rouge Mossad operative. Where is Ziva David?"

"Right here."

Three more gunshots sounded throughout the building. One dark- haired, olive-skinned figure slumped to the ground.

Dead.

**Do not despair! I promise not to kill them both. Maybe.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Guys, I am so so so sorry for not updating for this long! I was out in Yellowstone with no computer and no wi-fi. :( BUT I'm back! You can go back to expecting updates every other day. I promise.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS. If I did, then season 10 would have gone differently.**

_Previously:_

_The black-clothed figure ignored the shout and fired twice in rapid succession. Tony doubled over again. Red spots blossomed on his shirt, over his stomach._

_"Agent DiNozzo, I believe you have the location of a rouge Mossad operative. Where is Ziva David?"_

_"Right here." _

_Three more gunshots sounded throughout the building. One dark- haired, olive-skinned figure slumped to the ground._

_Dead._

"Tony!" Ziva ran over to him, past the body of her former Mossad partner. "Tony, are you alright?"

He didn't respond.

At that point, Ziva was crying as she put pressure on his wounds. Pulling out her cell, Ziva dialed the number for Emergency.

"Hello, what is your situation?" the operator asked. In French, of course.

"My… partner was shot at the American embassy and he needs an ambulance." Ziva was crying, but remained calm. She even managed not to speak Hebrew to the woman.

"I am sending an ambulance now."

The paramedics arrived with the police. Tony was put on a stretcher and loaded into the waiting ambulance. Ziva followed.

"Miss, what are you doing?" one asked.

"I am coming to the hospital with Tony."

They rolled their eyes but did not question het. They got Tony stable enough to live while Ziva sat by his head and held his hand without even realizing what she was doing.

The ambulance pulled up at a hospital and Tony was surrounded by nurses and doctors and rushed to Emergency.

One nurse tapped Ziva's arm and said softly, "Miss, maybe you should call your husband's family."

"He is not my- never mind." Ziva grabbed her phone and pressed speed dial #2.

"Gibbs."

"Gibbs, it is Ziva."

"Ziver? Are you okay? Is Tony?" He knew all about Tony's trip, clearly.

At the sound of Tony's name, she burst into tears and replied, "No, he is not. He was shot by Malachi. I- I am he may die."

"Oh, Ziva. I'll be there as soon as I can."

He hung up.

_Anthony DiNozzo, you are not allowed to die._

**A/N 2: Sorry if I got my French hospital facts wrong, but I sadly have never been to Paris. Oh and since no one figured out the "subtle hint" look at Ziva's apartment number in the last chapter.**

**Finally, I must say, CLIFFHANGER!**

**Reveiw!**

**:)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey peeps! Nothing new, only that I am thinking about watching NCIS LA. Any thoughts? Tell me. Also, to the Guest reviewer, I had an awesome time! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.**

Gibbs snapped his cell shut and sighed. Then he looked around for his last agent.

"McGee!"

"Yes boss?"

"Autopsy, get Abbs to meet us there. Duck has a break in the case." He lied on the off chance Vance was watching.

Tim hurried down to the lab with Gibbs following after a moment. They arrived to find the other three already standing around a metal table.

"Jethro, what's wrong?" Ducky was the first to speak.

"DiNozzo was at the embassy in Paris and Malachi shot him. Ziver killed Malachi but Tony's in critical condition at the hospital. Ziva's with him and I'm leaving as soon as we're done here."

"Oh my God." Abby started to sob. McGee wrapped his arms around her and held her, oblivious to the wet patch forming on the shoulder of his shirt.

"What can we do?" McGee asked simply.

"Duck, I need you to come up with an excuse for us to fly to Paris. We have to tell Vance _something_. I'm not sure how well-informed Elbaz is keeping him."

"Us?" Abby looked up, her face streaked with mascara.

"You, me and Tim." Gibbs said gently. "I'm not going to make you stay here."

Abby ran over and wrapped her arms around him. "Thanks bossman."

"Okay, Palmer, you talk to the hospital people in France, get Dinozzo moved here ASAP."

"Yes sir." Palmer was just glad he wouldn't be on snack duty this time.

"McGee, go. Get us on a plane."

"Boss, what about you?"

"I need to make a phone call."

**Paris**

"I don't CARE if nobody is allowed in, I WANT TO SEE HIM!" Ziva yelled at the idiotic nurse who didn't seem to _care _that her partner was practically _dying_, going into surgery in five minutes, and she needed to _see_ _him_ before then.

Ziva had started out calm, although desperately worried. She had sat in the waiting room for an hour slowly losing all patience and rationality. Finally, a doctor had come in and spoken softly to the woman behind the computer screen. Ziva's Mossad-trained ears had caught the words 'DiNozzo' and 'critical' and demanded to know what was wrong.

It all went downhill from there.

"Miss, I'm sorry, I can't let you back there!" the nurse was adamant in her refusal to let Ziva see her partner. The doctor, who up until that point had been a silent observer, suddenly said, "Wait, you're name wouldn't happen to be Ziva, now would it?"

"Yes, why?" Ziva frowned.

"Well, Mr. DiNozzo was conscious for a few minutes while we explained the surgery to him" Ziva rolled her eyes. "And he kept asking for a Ziva. Something about wanting to talk, and a Mr. 'Gibbs'?"

"Can I see him?"

"Since he refuses to let us perform surgery on him until he speaks with you, I think that would be best. Come with me."

The doctor led an eager Ziva through the doors and to a door. "I'll be right here if you need me." He smiled and opened the door. Ziva stepped inside and caught sight of Tony.

"Tony!" she rushed to his bedside and sat in a chair next to his head. He looked awful. His stomach was bandaged and he was pale and tired. But, his face lit up when he saw her.

"Ziva!" his voice was weak, too. "Zi, are you okay?"

"Yes, Tony. Unlike you, I am fine. Now, why did you want to talk to me before you had surgery?"

"Zi, I just needed to see with my own eyes that you were here and safe. Oh and one more thing, did you tell Gibbs?"

"Tony, I am perfectly alright. Oh course I called Gibbs. He said he'd be here soon."

"So I can expect him to be here with Abby and McWorry when I'm out?"

"Exactly. Now let the doctors do their jobs. I'll see you soon." She pressed a kiss to his forehead and left.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or anything else. :(**

The three were home, packed and back in the office in record time. Gibbs and Ducky decided that Petty Officer Jane Tuttle's sister would be living in London, and the field office there needed their help, and that of a forensic scientist. From London they would catch a ferry and then a train to Paris.

Without Mossad or Vance finding out.

**Paris**

Ziva looked at her watch again. She had been standing in the railroad station for half an hour. The problem? Her partner was in surgery that, if for some reason failed, would very possibly kill him.

Her worried thoughts were interrupted when the train pulled up. She watched people disembark without paying much attention to them. Then Abby ran out of the crowd with McGee and Gibbs behind her. Abby threw her arms around Ziva and hugged her.

"Ziva! Oh my God! I can't believe it's you!" Abby gushed.

Ziva just stood there with Abby's arms around her feeling vaguely overwhelmed. After a minute, Tim put his hand of Abby's shoulder and gently pulled her away. Ziva smiled at Abby and hugged McGee.

"Hello, Tim."

"Hey, Ziva. How's Tony?" Ziva shook her head. "I don't know."

Ziva pulled away and faced Gibbs. The man who had become her father pulled her into his arms, and the torrent of emotions finally caught up with her. She put her head on his shoulder and cried her heart out there, in the train station, with her surrogate father's arms around her, crying, crying, crying.

**Tel Aviv**

"Director, I have bad news." Liat skipped all formalities as she walked it.

"What is it?" Orli motioned to the hard wooden chair in front of her desk.

"Agent DiNozzo is alive, and Malachi dead." Liat's expression showed not the slightest trace of emotion for her dead partner and lover.

"How?" Orli frowned slightly. "Malachi was a trained Mossad agent. Anthony DiNozzo was not."

"He was killed by one of our own." Orli raised an eyebrow and Liat elaborated. "Ziva David killed him and took Agent DiNozzo to the hospital. Ziva then met Agents Gibbs and McGee and their forensic scientist at the railroad station. They are going to the hospital now."

"Alright. I will make a call."

"I am sorry, Director."

"Goodbye."

Liat stood up and walked out. Orli picked up her phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Leon, we have a problem. What do you suggest we do about it?"

**A/N: Yep, more cliffhangers. I feel the need to torture you guys a bit more.**

**It's cuz I love you. You people are AMAZING with your reviews! Thank you!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry I didn't update sooner, but I hit writer's block :( I watched half of season 10 and some LA, and then I had ideas! Yay! Now, enjoy!**

**Dislcaimer: If I owned NCIS, the Berlin car crash would have happened ****_after_**** Ziva finished her sentence.**

**Washington, D.C.**

"Leon, we have a problem. What do you suggest we do about it?" Orli Elbaz never was one for explanations, Vance thought wryly. He was about to ask what she was talking about when an email popped up in his inbox. It detailed the attack and everything that had happened since then.

"Shit." The NCIS director was not happy. "Orli, you told me that all I would have to do is get DiNozzo on Ziva's trail and Mossad would handle the rest! Now you tell me you need _my_ help because _your_ agent failed?"

"Leon, just give me some ideas. That will be enough. You know these Americans far better that I."

"Fine. But no more mistakes."

"Agreed."

"Okay, the first thing you need to do is separate Gibbs from his team. Then get Ziva alone and grab her fast. You'll need to be careful as hell to make sure Abby and McGee don't realize anything. Then just slip something into Dinozzo's IV or something. Make it look like he died of his injuries. This can't come back to me."

"Thank you Leon. Perhaps we should talk again later."

"Get Dinozzo, Orli. Then we'll see."

**Paris**

"Damn, Tony, you look awful." McGee remarked.

"Thanks, McHelpful." Not even a life-threatening injury could make Tony DiNozzo stop teasing McGee.

"TONY!"

"I do believe Abby has arrived." Tony winced as Abby wrapped him in a signature Abby hug. "Oh, Tony, I'm sorry!" Abby exclaimed when she noticed.

"I'm fine, Abbs."

"Yes, aside from the two bullet wounds in your stomach, I am sure you are wonderful." Ziva spoke for the first time. They had been in his room for an hour when the nurses wheeled him in. Gibbs had head slapped him and gone to play door guard. He had a gut feeling that Mossad was not done with them yet. Ducky was talking to Tony's doctor and the other three were in his room with him.

Abby looked back and forth from Tony to Ziva. They were communicating silently and suddenly Abby got an idea.

"I'm just glad you're not-" Abby faked a yawn.

"Come on, Abbs, let's go back to the hotel." Tim caught on quickly. The pair left the partners staring at each other intently.

"Ziva, I-" Tony started, but Ziva cut him off.

"Tony, why are you here?"

"To keep you alive."

"I cannot believe this! Every time you try to rescue me or save me, _you _are always the one that gets hurt! Tony, it is not fair for me to put you in so many dangerous situations. Every time something happens to me, you are hurt as well! It would be best for you to stay away from me." Ziva stormed out, but not before Tony saw the tears in her eyes.

"Wait, Ziva! Wait!" She whipped around. "What?"

"There's another reason I came after you. Ziva, I-"

Before he could finish, a shot was fired and Gibbs burst into the room.

"They found us."

**More cliffy! I am evil. Thanks for your support!**

**Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi hi! Here's a new chappy! :)**

**Disclaimer:I do not own** **NCIS!**

_Previously:_

_"There's another reason I came after you. Ziva, I-"_

_Before he could finish, a shot was fired and Gibbs burst into the room._

_"They found us."_

Ziva was on her feet in an instant, pulling out her gun. Gibbs set his phone near Tony and ordered him to call McGee and Abby. The door was kicked open and no less than six black-clothed Mossad operatives were revealed.

Gibbs fired three shots before the door was even all the way open. The man in the doorway fell to the ground, dead. For a moment, Gibbs could see nurses, doctors, and families of patients screaming and hiding. Then the other five rushed into the small room. Ziva fired and hit one in the leg. He collapsed.

"Ziver! Give DiNozzo your backup!" Gibbs ducked to avoid being punched in the face. Ziva pulled out a second gun and threw it to her former partner, who caught it and shot the injured man in the head. Another dark-clothed figure hit Ziva in the shoulder. She yelled in surprise and pain. Tony saw another Mossad assassin coming towards him but couldn't get a clear shot.

"Boss! Behind you!" Gibbs fired another round and the guy fell to the ground. Three left.

Tony shot the third without a thought. Another shot came from somewhere to his left, and another Mossad guy went down. Things were looking in their favor. Then the remaining Mossad officer fired one, twice, three times, hitting Tony in the arm and grazing Gibbs' leg. Another shot rang out and the assassin doubled over, revealing Timothy McGee standing in the doorway with Abby and Ducky right behind him.

""Nice timing, Tim." Gibbs remarked.

"ZIVA!" Tony suddenly screamed, his own numerous injuries forgotten. The others whirled around to see Tony kneeling on the floor next to Ziva. Gibbs hurried over and knelt over Ziva.

She looked awful. Blood was gushing from the wound on her shoulder, and she was very pale. Gibbs picked her up while Abby rushed out to find a doctor.

An hour later, Tony was having his arm bandaged and his stomach _re_-bandaged. McGee looked on, worried. Ziva was in the next room arguing with her doctors and Abby. Gibbs was unwillingly letting a nurse examine the bullet graze on his calf while Ducky watched. The bossman had only agreed to it at all when Ducky threatened not to tell him the conditions of his team.

"Duck, how are they?" Gibbs was really worried, something that didn't happen very often.

"They will live, Jethro. Anthony will need about a week more in the hospital. Ziva will need oh, about two. They will be completely fine."

**Tel Aviv**

"WHAT am I looking at here?" Orli asked.

"The video feed from Ziva David's hospital room."

"How the hell were three Americans, one injured, able to overcome six Mossad officers?"

"Director, you clearly not worked with these... particular agents before."

**Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry for the late update guys, I've been having a bad couple days :( I'm sorry if there are mistakes, it's 11 pm here and I just finished it. Oh, and the end won't make sense if you haven't seen 11x2, just to warn you.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS. I wouldn't be here if I did.**

"No, Abby, I am _fine_!" Ziva all but shouted at her best friend. "I am fine, and I am going to see Tony!"

"Alright, Ziva. Just this once, because I have a feeling I'm not the only one who can kill someone and not leave any forensic evidence behind…" Abby trailed off when she realized that the other woman had left. She smiled and went off, not to eavesdrop, just to make sure nobody ended up dead.

"Tony?" Ziva knocked on his door softly.

"Come in, Zi."

Ziva opened the door and walked in. Tony was sitting in his hospital bed, looking at her warmly. She walked across the room and sat down in the chair next to him.

"So, Ziva, I think we need to talk." Tony took advantage of the fact that she was there and they were alone. "Zi, when I found out Orli was out to get you, a lot of thing happened. I was furious and worried and heartbroken. I-I realized something. I tried to tell you before, and we were well, interrupted. Ziva David, I think I am in love with you."

"Tony, when I saw you lying on the ground in a pool of blood, I knew. I knew before, I think. When I made you leave me in Israel I think I knew. Oh, Tony, I think I am in love with you."

Tony grabbed her hand and touched his lips briefly to hers. Ziva looked into his emerald green eyes and saw her own feelings reflected in his eyes.

"OH MY GOD, you guys are such _idiots_!" Abby ruined the moment by rushing into the room and throwing her arms around the two of them.

"Who's an idiot?" Tim chose this moment to poke his head into the room.

"Ah, that was an interesting- what is going on in there?" Ducky asked, amused.

"They've finally figured out the meaning of rule 5." Gibbs took one glance at the situation and immediately understood. "McGee, go pull Abbs off of them. I think she's suffocating DiNozzo." the boss cracked a rare smile.

"Took you long enough." He followed Tim into the room and shooed the junior agent and the forensic scientist out gently.

"Gibbs, what was it you said about rule 5?" Tony ran a hand over his ribs and winced slightly.

"Rule number 5 is 'Don't waste good'. What you two have is good, even if you don't know what it is."

"I am going to take that as a compliment." Tony grinned at his joke and Ziva and Gibbs rolled their eyes.

"Now, there's one problem. I have a rule against this." Gibbs pointed from Tony to Ziva.

"Gibbs, technically I am not an NCIS agent, so…" Ziva stopped talking as Gibbs stared pointedly at her. "No, as of this moment you are not. Something tells me that'll change soon." Gibbs stood up and walked out. He paused at the door. "Oh, and DiNozzo, that thing I told you about rule 12 not applying when your partner's in danger? We'll discuss it later."

"Wait, Gibbs!" Ziva didn't get a chance to finish talking before Gibbs pointed at Tony's bedside table. On it was a form reading 'NCIS Special Agent Application'. There was another piece of paper below it: both of Ziva's I Will lists, one on each side.

Gibbs walked out and shut the door.

"He never ceases to amaze me." Tony smiled and pointed to the list. "Can we cross that one off?"

Ziva picked up a pen and started filling out the application form. "Yes, I believe we can."

**I can so see Abby doing that on the show.**

**Make my day and review. Please?**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Wow, two updates in two days? I'm on a roll. Thanks for all your kind review, you guys rock!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS. My birthday isn't for another 6 months.**

Leon Vance shook his head and set his phone down. If Mossad, an agency of _assassins_, couldn't take down DiNozzo, who could? It was time for a drastic change of plans.

The director sat down and sighed. All he'd ever wanted was a way to get at the legend. An opportunity to take down Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And he had tried everything- everything!

Getting rid of his team in hope of weakening him had completely backfired.

All the subtle threats had done nothing.

Getting on his good side turned out to be a total waste of time.

Finally he had approached a woman with ambition: Orli Elbaz. She wanted the position of Director of Mossad, but two things stood in her way. Eli, and Bodnar.

Together, they had planted seeds of doubt in Ilan Bodnar. They convinced him that Eli was planning to choose a new deputy director, and he would be sidelined. The best way to regain Eli David's attention, the pair told him, was to save his life. Bodnar had to come up with the details and methods alone. He wasn't to contact them again.

Needless to say, that proved to be a tragic mistake.

Not only was Eli killed, Jackie was caught in the crossfire, leaving him a widower and his children motherless. All because Leon hadn't bothered to find out when Bodnar planned on pulling off the plan.

It didn't take Leon and Orli long to figure out that Bodnar had another target: Ziva. He was focusing on the one person who would follow him to the ends of the earth to avenge the death of a man who hadn't been anything like a father to her in years. His daughter.

It seemed like their problems were solved when Bodnar was killed. At that point, a rather murderous Vance and an extremely reluctant Orli hatched a new plan.

Vance told a little white lie about Eli having given him a new copy of his will at the Shabbat dinner to convince Orli to help him. The 'new' will stated that Ziva was to be returned to Mossad or killed. Vance suggested that she should have DiNozzo find Ziva, and then take him out.

Mossad does the dirty work, and I get to find Gibbs a senior field agent who will kill him on my say-so, Vance had thought. Perfect.

Except, once again, he had gravely underestimated Gibbs and his team.

He needed a new plan.

"Okay, what just happened?" Abby was completely freaking out.

"I have no idea." McGee responded, distracted. "So do you think the rule 12 thing will apply all around?"

"I don't- wait, Timmy, did you forget to mention something to me?"

"Yeah. Delilah broke up with me." Tim sat down and ran a hand through his hair. "And we were doing so well, too."

"What happened?" Abby asked as she sat down beside him and looked him in the eyes.

"I… don't want to talk about it. I really don't." Tim closed his eyes and sighed.

"Oh Tim." Abby put her head on his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her. "I'm so sorry."

**I actually love Delilah on the show, she just didn't fit with my story. Also, I hope you liked the insight into Vance's frame of mind.**

**Review please?**

**-Tiger**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: If I owned NCIS, Ray would have been shot by Ziva in A Desperate Man.**

**Three Weeks Later**

**Paris**

Ziva walked into her partner's hospital room without bothering to knock. Tony, who had been sitting in his bed actually _working_, looked up, startled. He'd had too many unwelcome and unannounced visitors in the last month.

"Hey Ziva." He said with a small smile.

"Hello Tony." He was distracted by the absence of the sling that she was supposed to be wearing. He knew she didn't like feeling weak, but he did not want to see her badly injured because of her own stubbornness. He opened his mouth to ask her about it. But Ziva's next words drove every other thought out of his mind.

"We're going home."

His first thought was irrelevant. _Home. Ziva called DC 'home'._

His next thought was more to the point, and the one he voiced. "Wait, but my doctor told me I had another two weeks!" Tony was too shocked even to make a movie reference.

Ziva shrugged. "Gibbs convinced them you were well enough to take a plane back to DC. Ducky told the doctors he would force you to go to a hospital for a testup as soon as we got back."

"Checkup, Zi." He corrected. "Jeez, Ziva, that wasn't even an idiom and yet you _still_ managed to mess it up!"

"Shut up, Tony." Ziva stuck her tongue out at him. She then pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to him. "Fill that out. It's your release form."

"Yes milady."

"Why do I even speak to you?."

The pair were too busy bickering and teasing to notice their boss standing outside.

_At least _one_ thing is back to normal, _he thought. His team had been through a lot lately. Gibb's gaze drifted from Tony and Ziva, now engaged in an arm wrestling match- _I don't want to know_\- to McGee sitting with Abby waiting for the others to finish paperwork. They were listening to Ducky, who was telling them a story about the time a former colleague had shot a suspect in the arm with a gun that had been the murder weapon...

_Yep. Everything's better. If not right. _They had a long way to go before their dysfunctional family would be 'right' again, but it was a start.

**Tel Aviv**

"Pull everything we have on NCIS Director Leon Vance." Orli ordered. She was standing in a dark room filled with computer screens, one of many in Mossad headquarters. "Background, family, personal, professional, everything."

Orli knew her NCIS counterpart was up to something. She had recently been reviewing Eli's will on the off chance something was wrong. There was.

The will Vance had given her was different than the one on file. Leon had told her that Eli had given him a new, revised copy, and she had believed him. When she had looked deeper, she found there was no evidence of the new copy outside of Vance's laptop. She concluded that he had lied to her to gain her support.

So naturally, she was investigating him. The man had enough secrets to put him and NCIS is disgrace for years.

_He thought I was in simply because Eli told me to do it. Oh, was he ever wrong_.

Orli Elbaz had her own reasons for sending assassins after the NCIS agents. Reasons that had nothing to do with Eli or Vance.

**Washington, DC**

Vance was getting desperate. Gibbs and his team were good. Extremely good. And he was running out of options. The man made a decision. He grabbed a photo of his family and took the back off the frame to reveal a piece of paper. He grabbed it and flipped it over to reveal a number. Then he did as he had promised himself he would never do.

He pulled out his phone, punched in the number, and dialed.

"Hello? This is Leon Vance. I need a favor."

**Yep, I'm giving you another cliffhanger. Thanks for the reviews, alerts and favorites. You are AMAZING!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS, unfortunately.**

_Previously:_

_ Vance was getting desperate. Gibbs and his team were good. Extremely good. And he was running out of options. The man made a decision. He grabbed a photo of his family and took the back off the frame to reveal a piece of paper. He grabbed it and flipped it over to reveal a number. Then he did as he had promised himself he would never do._

_He pulled out his phone, punched in the number, and dialed._

_"Hello? This is Leon Vance. I need a favor."_

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

He'd done it. He'd used the code word. They knew he had failed.

Damn, how had he ever allowed this to happen?

_Flashback_

That's it, _Vance thought. _I'm calling the one person who can help me. The one person who knows Leroy Jethro Gibbs well enough to help me get him out of my agency for good.

_He picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found the name. The director pressed 'Call' and held the phone to his ear._

_"Trent Court? I could use some information on one of my agents. You could be a lot of help to me, if you're interested."_

It had started off well enough. But suffice it to say, that didn't last long.

_"Now, either you convince Mossad to kill Gibbs, or your career, your family, and your friends will disappear." Months after getting Orli on his side, he received an anonymous call from a blocked number telling him to tell Mossad Director Elbaz to _kill_ Gibbs. They threatened him. What they didn't know was that he was more than happy to have Gibbs out of the way for good as long as it was never traced back to him, and his family remained safe._

_Therefore, Vance wove a rather elaborate web of lies. He told Orli that Eli wanted Ziva in Mossad or dead. He convinced her to have her assassins kill Gibbs as a precaution._

_Then he tracked Tony as he tracked Ziva to Paris, and fed the information to Mossad._

_Everything he wanted, with none of it traced back to him. Perfect._

End Flashback

"Perfect. Yeah, right." Vance muttered to himself as he put down his phone and shredded the number. It was out of his hands now. He had made the call signaling that there was no more he could do. Now all he could do was wait.

Wait, and hope he had covered his tracks.

Never had there been such a desperate hope.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Tony bounced in his seat like a five-year-old. Finally, _finally, _he was going home. Home to his job, his home, his life.

Best of all, he was going home with Ziva.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs' shout and slap to the back of the head shook him out of his reverie. "Did you hear the captain announce that we were taking off?"

"Err… no, boss." Tony admitted and buckled his seatbelt. Then he turned to look at the other passengers on the private jet SECNAV had sent.

Gibbs: Sitting in a seat, sipping coffee and glaring at him. Tony resisted the urge to rub the back of his head.

Ducky: Chatting animatedly with Gibbs, who was not paying much attention.

Abby: Half asleep with her head on Probie's shoulder.

McGee: Laptop out, watching a movie and grinning slightly at Abby falling asleep leaning on him.

Ziva: Waving her hand in front of his face from her spot next to him, looking amused.

Snapping out of it, Tony turned to face his partner.

"Yeah Zi?" he yawned.

"It can wait. You look exhausted." Now she looked concerned.

"Yeah, I could do with a cat nap." Tony closed his eyes and was asleep before Ziva could ask him why it was called a 'Cat nap' as opposed to something else.

Ziva gave up on questioning American sayings when he started to snore.

**A/N: A little fluff to go with the serious Vance stuff. Sorry if all the flashback-y things confused you.**

**Your reviews, favorites and alerts brighten my day! Thank you!**


	15. Epilogue

**A/N: I have decided that this is going to be the last chapter. I'm going to start working on a sequel, so I'll be taking a few weeks off to start writing it before I post anything. I don't know when I'll start posting it, so keep an eye out. :)**

**This last chapter's kinda short, but I needed to wrap it up.**

**I am so thankful to everyone who has read this story, especially those who reviewed, favorited, and story alerted this. As many times as I say this, thank you thank you thank you!**

**See you again in a couple weeks!**

**Disclaimer: We all know I don't own NCIS.**

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Mossad Director Orli Elbaz was not a woman to be trifled with. She prided herself on her ability to take action while keeping up a calm and collected façade under the most arduous situations. She was respected by her colleagues, friends and acquaintances alike. Most importantly, Orli Elbaz never let anyone play her. Ever.

Vance had done just that. He had played her and her entire agency. And he would pay.

"There must be _something_ in his past that he would like to keep a secret." The Mossad director mused to the woman sitting beside her. Liat nodded.

"Everyone has secrets, director. We will find them."

"I have no doubt we will. However, I did not call you here to discuss that. I need to know how long it will take to collect a team to assassinate the American agents."

"Not long, director." Liat answered immediately. "We are waiting on information from inside NCIS. It will come soon."

"Good." Orli responded. "We do not have the luxury of time."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Director Vance, Agents Gibbs, DiNozzo and McGee, are about to land, along wth Abby Scuito and Dr. Mallard. Ziva Davd is with them."

The new SECNAV waited for Vance to respond. She had gotten a call saying that the plane had just landed. She had called Leon once it was clear they were alright.

"Thank you. Madam Secretary. I will have Agent Gibbs brief you as soon as he gets here." Vance hung up. _Shit_, he thought. _I didn't think they'd get out of France alive, much less back to DC._

For now, he would wait. This matter wasn't really his problem at the moment.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

They stepped, one by one, off the plane into the bright sunlight glaring off the tarmac. Gibbs was first, striding confidently across the runway with bag in hand. Then Ducky appeared carrying a small suitcase. McGee was next. He had a backpack thrown over one shoulder and a laptop case in his free hand. Abby skipped excitedly down the stairs, dragging her suitcase behind her and chattering happily to Tony, who was behind her with his own bag.

The five stood together on the airstrip waiting for the last member of their team to make an appearance.

Ziva's brown hair shone in the sunlight as she walked down the stairs. She gave a smile that rivaled Tony's as she made her way over to her team, her family.

"Welcome home, Ziver." Gibbs smiled at her, his face showing his pride and happiness. "Welcome home."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

As soon as the team got to NCIS, Ducky, Abby and McGee headed to their respective homes and Gibbs went to brief SECNAV. That left Tony and Ziva in the bullpen.

"Ziva, come on. You're sleeping at my place until you can get an apartment." Tony said.

"It is alright Tony, I can get a hotel room." Ziva replied hastily. "I do not want to intrude."

"Well that's too bad. I am not letting you stay at a hotel."

"Tony, I- I just need some time to myself." Ziva looked at the ground.

"Look, Zi, normally I wouldn't insist. But for all we know, Mossad is still after you. You can't be alone." Tony looked her in the eyes, and she saw the sincerity reflected in them.

"Fine, but no one else."

"Just you and me, Zi."


End file.
